


The Women of the Holmesian Times

by Ridiculosity



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Christmas Special, Meta, Sherlock Meta, theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 08:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5778922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ridiculosity/pseuds/Ridiculosity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An analysis of Sherlock's mind palace and how he looks at women in the Christmas Special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Women of the Holmesian Times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InMollysWildestDreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InMollysWildestDreams/gifts), [TheLittleSparrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleSparrow/gifts).



> This just sort of... happened.

I have had a long and complicated relationship with _BBC’s Sherlock_ and it’s portrayals of women. As anyone would remember from ‘ _The Butchering of Irene Adler,’_ I have not been happy with the way Moffat and Gatiss change the women to suit _Sherlock,_ instead of women being women in their own right. With the coming of the third series, this obviously changed – characters like Molly Hooper and Mary Morstan were given definite character arcs outside of their male relationships. While they still may not pass the Bechdel test, there is _something._

The Christmas Special is something that I cannot make out: on one hand, I went in with the assumption (spoiler!) that it was not going to tie into the main show, and yet, here we are. On the other hand, when you think of the relationships women have with Sherlock and then look at it through the angle of how _he_ portrays them in his mind palace, then you have a veritable mix of Chemical X and everything else.

The way _Sherlock_ looks at the fairer sex is an interesting thought: because we never really had so concrete a way of interpreting it before. There are some very telling lines which only _become_ telling when you realise that Sherlock is mixed up in his own mind palace and this is his subconscious speaking. The episode, I would even argue, is a study in Sherlock’s relationship with women as a whole. Even Lady Carmichael happens to be someone Sherlock immediately admires for her strong character. The episode is riddled with similar themes, which even come up amongst Sherlock’s closest female friends.

For instance, on discovering that Mary might be in danger, when John asks him “Are you even in a fit state?” Sherlock promptly replies with “For Mary, of course. Never doubt that, Watson.” What does this say about Sherlock’s perception and relationship with Mary. More importantly, what does mind palace Mary’s interaction with Sherlock say about what Sherlock thinks that _she_ thinks of _him?_ It’s all very complicated, and frankly, very confusing. However, what I can gather is that Sherlock clearly respects Mary to a degree that makes him believe in her abilities no matter the centuries. Not to mention the fact that she always understands his more criminal side: when Sherlock dabbles with drugs, Mary is the only one who does not give him hell for it.

And then there is Irene Adler. I have had _very_ serious problems with her portrayal: in Doylian canon, she is the impeccable and assertive Irene Adler. She accepts her sexuality in a way that was not permitted, and beats Sherlock mentally in a way that was unprecedented. Yet, she is reduced to a love interest in _BBC’s_ version. What I find curious, however, is the way his mind palace makes sure that her picture is placed inside his watch. A watch during the 1800s was an extremely personal object: fathers passed it down to sons and it was an object always found on a man’s person. That Irene Adler exists on such a level in his mind palace makes me think about what Moffat and Gatiss intend for her.

Mrs. Hudson is Mrs. Hudson – which – well, I have no idea. Sherlock is clearly aware of her capabilities, and continues to love her in his mind palace world and out. At least there is _one_ uncomplicated relationship.

Barring Janine – and I will come to her later, there is Molly Hooper. Molly Hooper is an oddity throughout the show. Anybody who sticks around on my blog long enough knows that I have a deep personal bias towards Molly Hooper. What I had never anticipated was that I would get to see the way Sherlock sees her.

Many people who ship Sherlolly have pointed out how Sherlock has never insulted her intelligence, how he has never deduced her to pieces apart from that very unfortunate Christmas incident. There are many, _many_ implications of a very long standing relationship between the two having existed. Whether or not this is true is irrelevant.

What _really_ made me curious was how Sherlock did not deduce her to pieces or insult her intelligence _even in his mind palace._

Molly Hooper says to him “Holmes,” and he responds with “Hooper.” Molly Hooper says to him, “So, come to astonish us with your magic tricks, I suppose?” – violating every single angle in which the _real_ Molly Hooper thinks of him. Does this mean that Sherlock does not take for granted Molly’s admiration? Possibly. But his response to her derision and clear dislike is what is most curious.

He says, turning away from her, and without insulting anything about her, “is there anything to which you would like to draw my attention?”

I did not pick up on the fact that Sherlock barely addresses her, and when he does, it is in admiration for her skills in the mortuary. Molly Hooper of Sherlock’s mind is strong, assertive, and a lot louder than the kind Molly Hooper of the lab. However, keep in mind that the real Molly Hooper has also very recently slapped him publicly. Perhaps this affects what he thinks of _her?_ And then there is Molly Hooper as a friend to Mrs. Ricoletti. It can be assumed, conclusively, that Molly was the person to switch the bodies so that the real body of Mrs. Ricoletti could be dissected. Then, it is also for us to assume that she, being a doctor of the dead, was strong enough to fire the shot that _did_ kill her. What this says about Molly as a character and what Sherlock thinks of her, I cannot say. Perhaps he is accepting the fact that she would be an excellent Dexter where empathetic serial killing is concerned.

Ultimately, there is also the question of the female uprising. While the dramatics are not appreciated by me (there is not logical reason given for these women to wear their purple masks!), what it signifies to _Sherlock_ is. Janine makes an appearance, and again, I have to think about what role this woman plays in his psyche, because he clearly remembers her with some fondness. Janine’s portrayal as a loyal friend gives a twist to the way she said “we could have been friends, you know?” in series three.

Sherlock’s dialogue in the face of these uprising women is something that seems very _– curious ­­–_ when considered from the mind palace angle. He says “A league of furies awakened – the women _I_ – we have lied to, betrayed. The women we have ignored, and disparaged.” (this last word is also accompanied with a Molly Hooper that looks straight out of a Gothic horror movie). That Sherlock is so conscious of how he has treated women and his female companions makes me very curious. I would even go so far as to say that they may even have a bigger role in the next series. Moffat and Gatiss always drop little hints like that, and that Sherlock recognizes his ignorance while the women rise to the occasion could be foreshadowing to what is to come. Parallel to this is also the way Mary in the real world clearly becomes an asset where Sherlock’s detective work is concerned. Just the way the women were ignored and they rose, so to was Mary’s past ignored, and yet she rose to the occasion. And so shall characters like Molly Hooper and Irene Adler – perhaps, in the next Series.

This was supposed to be a simple article, I promise, not a dissertation into the feminist themes of _BBC Sherlock._

 

Cheers,

Ridiculosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT - Dear readers, I would like to direct your attention to the comments section of this article. There is an interesting discussion going on about Irene Adler and Sherlock in a relationship :)

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are great!


End file.
